National Football Foundation
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The National Football Foundation (NFF) is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice. Its mission is to promote and develop amateur American football on all levels throughout the United States and to cultivate leadership, sportsmanship, enthusiasm for competition, and the drive for academic excellence among America's youth.
The foundation is comprised of 119 local chapters and continues to grow. As of early 2006, it had a presence in 46 states. Since 1956, more than 100,000 volunteers have become members.
In addition to supporting amateur football on the local level, the National Football Foundation also oversees the support, administration, and operation of the College Football Hall of Fame. Among its other programs and initiatives includes the facilitation of the Play It Smart program, which places a trained "academic coach" who turns football teams into learning teams in underserved high schools across the country, and the awarding of the Draddy Trophy presented by HealthSouth, referred to in many circles as the "Academic Heisman". The Foundation also tabulates and releases the Bowl Championship Series Standings each Fall and hosts an Annual Awards Dinner in December at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
Ron Johnson, a former Michigan All-American and member of the College Football Hall of Fame, serves as the current chairman, and Steven J. Hatchell, the former commissioner of the Big 12 Conference and executive director of the FedEx Orange Bowl, serves as its current president.
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